The Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, caused by a BP oil-drilling project (by the Transocean Deepwater Horizon rig), is an environmental catastrophe requiring an unprecedented response. Eleven workers were killed by the blast on the rig April 20, and the open well is gushing 5,000 barrels or more every day from three leaks so deep underwater that BP and federal agencies say it could take three months or more to fix the leaks. If the oil continues spilling for two months, it would be larger than the infamous Exxon Valdez spill 21 years ago (if it hasn't already).
Booms, at the mercy of weather, are deployed along the Gulf Coast, suspect chemicals are being sprayed to disperse the oil, and massive structures are to be dropped over the leaks in an attempt to contain and pump out the oil before it spreads. But the oil slick is already nearly the size of Jamaica, and on the doorstep of coastal communities in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. Critical habitat for 400 species of birds, fish and other marine life is threatened, at a critical breeding time; up to half of the U.S. supply of some popular seafood, like shrimp, oysters and bluecrabs at risk; and oil-soaked creatures have already begun washing ashore.
It's easy to feel hopeless in the face of such disaster. Taking action is one of the best antidotes for that feeling. What can individuals do to help?
Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/gulf-oil-spill-2010-0503#ixzz0muXiiSwp
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